Salvation
by FreddysNightmare1984
Summary: (a 'Deliverance' fanfic)- Drew Ballinger's younger sister, Kate, didn't think much of it when her brother let her come along on a canoe trip with his friend Ed and two other guys. she didn't know about the horrors they would encounter during what was supposed to be a fun weekend trip. but even the most innocent of trips can turn into a horrific nightmare. eventual Lewis/OC
1. Strange locals and dueling banjos

**ARGH! why did this idea have to come into my mind. just... _WHY?!_ ugh, anyways, I'm kind of surprised I'm the first person to write a Deliverance fanfic. it's such a good movie! aside from, ahem... that ONE SCENE... I'm hoping you know which scene I mean, I'd rather not mention it :P so anywho, I got this idea in my head a few days ago after seeing the movie for the first time (and once the day before yesterday). I freaking fell in love with Lewis, HE'S SO EPIC! I can't believe Burt Reynolds was actually HOT once :O lol, I hope you enjoy this story... or my take on the story, shall I say xD**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Deliverance or any of it's characters. I only own Kate**

* * *

"_Kate! _Kate, get your ass down here!" Drew Ballinger called up the stairs.

"all right, all right, I'm coming, Drew! _sheesh_, don't have kittens" 17 year-old Kate Ballinger called down the stairs to her brother, rolling her eyes as she hurried out of her room, swinging her dark purple backpack onto one shoulder. "I'm coming, I'm coming"

"the guys are waiting, Katie" Drew said.

"well okay, I'm here" Kate said, jumping down the last few stairs. she and Drew headed outside toward two waiting cars. three men were standing there, waiting for them. two of the men Kate knew well, Drew's friends Ed Gentry and Bobby Trippe. the third man, a dark haired guy who was tanned and muscular and wearing an odd, rubber vest, Kate didn't recognize.

"Katie?" Ed said, looking a bit surprised when he saw her approaching.

"Ed!" Kate smiled and hugged him. Kate and Ed had always been close ever since she was about 10 years old. he and his wife, Martha, used to watch her whenever Drew had to go out of town (which had been quite often at one point), so the two had gotten pretty close.

"man, how are ya, Kate?" Ed asked, hugging her back.

"good, Ed, good. can't really complain, even though Drew is a pain in the neck"

Drew rolled his eyes and Kate just laughed, pulling away from Ed and turning to Bobby. "hey, Bobby"

"hey there, Kate" Bobby said, giving her a small wave. "you been keepin' Drew in line?"

"eh, as much as I can" Kate said, laughing.

"I thought this was gonna be a _guys' _weekend, Drew?" a deep, smooth voice said.

Kate and the others turned to the dark haired man.

"uh, well Lewis, Kate caught me talking to Ed last night on the phone about this trip..." Drew shrugged. "... she talked me into letting her come along"

"oh" the man nodded slowly, casting Kate a small smile. "well then, it's nice to meet you Ms. Ballinger"

Kate felt, to her annoyance, a blush creeping across her face. "n-nice to meet you too, uh..."

"Lewis, Lewis Medlock" he smiled a bit more, which just deepened Kate's blush.

"well, everyone get all their stuff?" Ed asked.

"yep" Drew said.

Kate nodded. "sure did"

"alright, let's get goin', then" Ed said as he headed over to Lewis' car, while Drew, Bobby, and Kate would take Drew's car.

"see ya when we get there" Lewis said, smiling at Kate.

she blushed again, much to her annoyance, as Drew took hold of her arm and steered her towards his car. "come on, we want to get there before dark"

"relax, dear brother of mine" Kate said, laughing. "it's only a little after 1:30, I think we'll get there in plenty of time" she got into the backseat, leaving Bobby and Drew to get in the front.

"well I'm glad you're coming with us, Kate" Bobby said, smiling at her in the rearview mirror.

"it's not like I had any other plans for my weekend anyway" Kate said, smiling as she looked out the window. she caught Lewis' eye just then, and she instantly looked the other way as she felt another blush coming on. _"dang it!" _she thought to herself. "so, uh... how exactly do you two know Lewis?" she asked curiously as Drew started the car and backed out of the driveway, following Lewis' car.

"well we don't, not very well" Drew said. "he's Ed's friend. this whole trip was actually Lewis' idea"

"really?" Kate quirked an eyebrow. "um... where is it that we're going again?"

"Cahulawassee River" Bobby said. "it's supposedly very beautiful this time of year. and Lewis wants to get a chance to see it before it's flooded within the next few months"

"flooded?" Kate was confused. "why is the river being flooded?"

"a dam's gonna be built" Drew said.

"ah" Kate nodded slowly, turning to look out the window. "well I appreciate you letting me come with you guys"

"not a problem, Katie" Drew said. "I'm glad you'll be with us. I'll be able to keep an eye on you"

"oh please" Kate sighed, rolling her eyes. lately she and Drew had been a bit at odds, ever since Kate started showing an interest in dating, which was something Drew refused to even discuss with her. his and Kate's parents had died when Kate was 10, and Drew had taken care of her ever since. and he'd always been _very_ protective of his only sister. so her even mentioning the word 'date' would set him off. Kate just thought he was being ridiculous and should allow her to date if she wanted. but Drew held firm and refused.

Kate sighed again, leaning back in her seat a bit, her eyes slowly closing. _"Drew's not going to have as much control over me as he may think... not anymore" _she thought to herself.

...

"Kate... Kate, wake up"

"huh?" Kate opened her eyes.

Bobby shook her shoulder. "we're here, Kate"

"oh" Kate stretched, undoing her seatbelt and getting out of the car. her eyes widened a bit when she saw their surroundings. several small, rundown looking buildings that looked as though they'd seen better years. "wow... _this_ is it?" she frowned a bit.

"Katie, can you hand me my guitar?" Drew asked from the front seat.

Kate sighed and nodded. "sure bro, here" she got Drew's beloved guitar from the backseat and handed it to him. "why the heck did you bring that on a _canoe trip_, Drew?"

"well why not?"

"just seems a bit silly to me" Kate said, shrugging. "after all, what if your guitar gets ruined from the water?"

"ah, I came prepared for just that, Katie" Drew said, pulling a large plastic bag from the trunk.

"of course you did" Kate said, shaking her head. Drew had always loved his guitar, and was very skilled with it. he had even taught Kate a few songs, and she was pretty good herself at the few she knew.

a few slams from behind told Kate that Lewis and Ed had just pulled in and she turned to see them approaching. Drew started strumming a bit on his guitar, while Bobby just seemed disgusted by the condition of the buildings. "Christ, Drew" he frowned at a pile of old, rusty junk at his feet. "Drew, look at the junk... look here" he kicked an old can out of his way, hesitantly stepping over the junk pile.

Kate followed. "_sheesh_, not to put anyone down, but you think they'd take better care of this place, especially if this is where they're _livin'_" she said.

"you said it, Kate" Bobby said, looking around. "I think this is where everything finishes up... we just may be at the end of the line"

"hey, not so loud, Bobby" Ed said as he walked over. "we don't wanna upset these people"

Bobby blinked, looking around again. "people?"

Lewis honked the horn of his car, hoping that someone would hear and come to help them.

"_what_ people?" Bobby asked.

"this area may be evacuated already" Ed said.

"it certainly seems that way" Kate said. "it's like a freakin' ghost town"

Bobby suddenly spotted something.

"what is it, Bobby?" Kate asked, wondering what had caught his attention.

"that's my '51 Dodge" Bobby said, walking over by an old, rusted out car. at least, the rusted out shell of what _used_ to be a car.

Drew snickered.

"no, that's my car" Bobby said, stepping closer to look at it. "that's _my_ car" he walked a bit around it. "oh my youth and passion... spent in that backseat"

"uh huh, _sure_, Bobby" Kate said teasingly, grinning.

Bobby laughed, nodding toward the car. "it's all gone, ya see? all gone, rust and dust"

they laughed. Kate noticed just then that someone came around the side of the building they were standing near. a short, withered looking old man with suspenders and a tan floppy hat. Bobby turned slightly and saw the man approaching just as Lewis was walking over.

"uh, Lewis?" Bobby said, motionong toward the old man. "we got a live one here" he mumbled, motioning behind him.

Lewis and Ed walked over, the old man staring at the five of them, almost suspiciously.

"howdy" Lewis said.

"howdy" the old man said slowly.

"let me ask you somethin'" Lewis said.

"are you from the power company?" the old man asked.

Kate blinked, frowning in confusion. she and Drew looked at each other.

"power company?" Lewis asked. "what power company?"

"the one's buldin' the dam"

"no, no" Lewis shook his head. "look, come here a minute" he said, leading the old man around the corner, where his and Drew's cars were visible. "see that car there? and that care down there? we want someone to drive them down to Aintry for us"

"hell, you're crazy" the old man sneered, turning and walking off.

"no shit" Bobby said flatly.

"hey" Lewis said.

the old man turned back to look at him.

"fill that one up with gas, huh?" Lewis said, pointing to his car. "okay?"

the old man walked past him and headed over to the car.

Kate bit her lower lip, glancing over at Drew. "gee, real friendly folks around here, huh bro?"

Drew laughed a little, strumming on his guitar. "yeah, Katie"

Kate sighed and stretched, walking over and leaning against the hood of Drew's car, standing beside her brother. she sighed again, closing her eyes as she listened to Drew strum the guitar. she'd always loved listening to her brother play, he was one of the best guitar players she'd ever heard. the sound of a banjo caught Kate's attention, and she looked up and saw a boy standing on the porch of one of the rundown houses, a banjo in his hands. he slowly struck another chord, staring at Drew. Drew was staring right back, slowly playing another chord. Kate watched, interested with the wordless exchange that was going on. Drew then slowly began playing a guitar version of Yankee Doodle Dandy, the boy with the banjo repeating every chord he played. he slowly moved forward and sat on a porch swing, his eyes still locked on Drew, who had walked a bit closer to the building as he played.

Kate and Ed stood nearby, watching.

Lewis, meanwhile, was still trying to talk to the old man who was filling up his car. "I don't think you understood me... I want to get some drivers to drive _this_ car..." he slapped the hood of his car. "... and _that_ car" he pointed to Drew's. "... down to Aintry. drivers, do you understand?"

"you might get the Griner brothers" the old man said.

"where do they live?" Lewis asked, taking his jacket off to reveal a rubber vest that he'd been wearing beneath it.

"they live back over that way" the old man said, pointing off down the road.

Drew and the boy were still playing their banjo and guitar. Kate was simply fascinated by the way the two were playing in sync, almost as good as if it had been rehearsed. Bobby walked over by Ed and Kate. "talk about genetic deficincies" he mumbled to them. "isn't that pitiful?"

Kate glared at him, getting annoyed with the way Bobby was acting.

Drew and the boy continued playing, gradually playing their instruments faster and faster. "come on, I'm with ya" Drew said, smiling. he was doing pretty good at keeping up with the boy as they played faster and faster.

Kate smiled. "way to go, Drew!" she said, laughing. she could tell that Drew was loving every minute of it.

"hey, look" Bobby said, nudging Ed and Kate. the three turned to see the gas station attendant dancing along with the music.

Kate laughed a little, smiling. Bobby laughed too and began clapping along with the beat. another guy standing nearby began whistling. after a few more minutes of playing, the song got _very_ fast, and Drew couldn't keep up with the boy anymore, who kept playing at what seemed like lightning speed. "I'm lost!" Drew said, laughing.

_"wow" _Kate thought. _"I never thought there would come a day when someone would actually outplay Drew" _

the boy was smiling as he and Drew played the last few chords of the song. Drew whooped and laughed. "man, I could play all day with that guy!" he said, smiling brightly.

"I believe you could, too" Ed said. "I believe you could"

Kate laughed. "nice playin', bro" she said, hugging Drew.

he laughed, hugging back. "thanks, Kate. boy, I haven't played like that in a _long_ time!" he hurried back over to the boy. "_damn_, you play a mean banjo!" he said, holding his hand out toward the boy. the boy frowned suddenly, turning away from Drew in disgust. Drew's smile faltered. "uh... hey, y-you wanna play another one?"

"give him a couple of bucks" Bobby mumbled.

"hey guys" Lewis said. "Ed and I are gonna see if we can find the Griner brothers' place"

Bobby nodded. "alright"

"I'll go with you" Kate said. she didn't feel like sticking around the old rundown gas station anymore.

"but Katie..." Drew started, but Kate was already getting into the back of Lewis' car.

...

one thing Kate learned right away about Lewis Medlock was that he drove like a maniac. she'd barely gotten her seatbelt on before he was driving off down the dirt road.

"can that chubby boy handle himself?" Lewis asked.

"who, Bobby?" Ed asked. "he's rather well thought of in his field, Lewis"

"insurance?" Lewis said, scoffing a bit. "shit..." Kate sighed, wishing that Lewis would slow the heck down as he drove around a sharp turn in the road. they pulled up to anothe rrundown building that had an old faded sign outside: 'Griner Bros. garage'. "I've never been insured in my life" Lewis said as he parked his car. "I don't believe in insurance... there's no risk" he, Ed, and Kate got out of the car and headed toward the house.

"I have some" Ed mumbled as Lewis knocked on the door.

when no one answered, Lewis made his way across the road. "Ed, Kate, over here" he called.

the two hurried over to him. they could hear the sound of clanging metal, like someone was hitting it with a hammer. it was coming from an old shed. Lewis slowly opened the door. there was a man inside working with some metal. "_shit!_" someone cursed from inside. a ragged man came out of the shed, glaring at the three. he ran over to an old truck and kicked it in anger, obviously having hurt himself somehow.

"uh, anything we can do for ya?" Ed asked.

"no... it ain't as bad as I thought" the man said.

"your name Griner?" Lewis asked.

"what you wanna know for?"

"um, c-can you and your brother drive two cars down to Aintry for us?" Kate asked hesitantly.

"drive 'em down there for _what?_" the guy asked.

"well, me and my friends here..." Lewis said. "... are gonna take a canoe trip down the Cahulawassee. we'd like to have those cars in Aintry when we get there. be there about Sunday, noon"

"canoe trip?"

"that's right, a canoe trip" Lewis said, obviously getting a little ticked off.

"what the hell you wanna go fuckin' around that river for?" the man demanded.

Kate swallowed nervously, stepping a bit closer to Lewis and Ed.

"because it's there" Lewis said.

"it's there all right" the guy said. "you get in there and can't get out... you gonna wish it wasn't"

"listen, Lewis" Ed said. "let's go back to town and... play golf"

_"yeah" _Kate thought._ "this trip is starting to seem like a bad idea"_

"I'll give you $30 to take the cars down to Aintry" Lewis said, ignoring Ed.

"I'll take $50"

Lewis smirked a bit. "50 my ass" he mumbled.

"_Lewis!_" Kate said sharply, glaring at him. no way did she want to tick this guy off.

"Lewis, don't play games with these people" Ed muttered.

"what'd you say?" the guy asked, narrowing his eyes at Lewis.

Lewis didn't back down. "I said 50 my _ass_"

"I'll do it for 40" the guys said after a minute.

Lewis turned to Ed. "you good for 10?"

Ed sighed and nodded. "sure"

Lewis nodded to the Griner. "you got it" he said as they headed back toward the cars.

as they came around the side of the garage, Kate saw Bobby and Drew. "Lewis, you guys alright?" Drew turned to his sister. Kate, you okay?"

"yeah, Drew, I'm fine" Kate said.

"it's all set, guys" Lewis said as he got in his car.

the Griner brothers got in their rusted old truck and followed after Lewis and Drew's cars. Lewis cut the truck off and drove off ahead, driving as recklessly as ever. "good lord" Drew said when he saw the way Lewis was driving. he was the complete opposite of Lewis when it came to driving, careful and slow. he was sure to keep behind the Griner's truck. "I don't want you riding with him anymore, Kate" Drew said, glancing at his sister in the rearview mirror.

"ugh, alright, Drew" Kate said, rolling her eyes when he wasn't looking. she was just going to be glad when they finally reached the river and could get their trip underway. little did she know the dark turn of events that would come...

* * *

**oh man, THE PLOT THICKENS! well, not yet anyways... BUT IT WILL! I know Kate didn't really say much in this chapter, but she'll be more involved in the chapters to come. hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review!**

**-FreddysNightmare1984**


	2. First time on the river

**WHOOT, I'm so glad I'm updating this already! it was a pain in the butt to type, but I'm determined not to get lazy! :P I also love writing the dialogue between Drew and Kate, for some reason I've always liked writing stuff between siblings *shrugs*. anywho, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I'M SO _NOT_ LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ONE! mostly because it'll probably have _"that"_ scene in it... *runs and hides* WORDS CAN NOT DESCRIBE HOW MUCH I _DON'T_ WANT TO WRITE THAT SCENE! (I hope you all know which scene I mean, if not... look it up AT YOUR OWN RISK!). and enjoy this next chapter! xD**

******DISCLAIMER: I do not own Deliverance or any of it's characters. I only own Kate**

* * *

it didn't take long for Drew to drive down to the river. Kate was the first one out of the car, looking around for Ed and Lewis. "Ed? Lewis!" she called.

"up here!" Lewis yelled. Kate turned and saw a small hill where Ed and Leiws were, looking out at the river. the two came down a minute later. "well, let's get these canoes unloaded" Lewis said, going over to get the canoes off the top of his car.

...

"hey, couldn't we have found a harder place to get in?" Bobby asked sarcastically as he and Drew carried one of the canoes down to the river. Kate had her backpack, which was pretty much the only thing Drew let her carry (much to her annoyance). Ed and Lewis already had the other canoe in the water and were putting their stuff in it.

"oh, this is steep here, now" Drew said.

"all right" Bobby mumbled, walking as carefully as possible.

"Katie, be careful-" Drew started.

"all right, all right" Kate said, trying her best not to be snippy. but it was at times like these that Drew tended to get on his sister's nerves.

"_whoo_, it's freezin'!" Drew said as he stepped down into the water, he and Bobby still holding the canoe above their heads.

"what in the hell are we gonna do if we come off this river and our cars are not down with whats his name?" Bobby asked, his hands on his hips.

"they'll be there" Lewis said.

"well they're pretty rough lookin' boys, those hillbillies" Bobby said.

"don't judge people by the way they look, chubby" Lewis said. "you can trust 'em" Bobby gave him a dirty look and Kate tried hard to stifle a laugh.

Drew walked over to Ed, holding his guitar wrapped in the large plastic bag he'd brought. "I'm goin' with you, Ed, and not with Mr. Lewis Medlock" he said in a mock southern accent. "cause I done seen how he drives these country roads he don't know nothin' about" he turned to Kate. "you're coming with us too, Kate" he said, dropping the accent.

the teenager folded her arms across her chest. "was that an order or a request?" she asked flatly. "I was thinking I'd go with Lewis and Bobby-"

"you're comin' with us, K" Drew said. "now come on"

"ugh" Kate sighed, rolling her eyes when her brother's back was turned as she trudged over to him and Ed.

"don't forget your life jacket" Drew said, like a parent reminding their kid not to go out and play in the snow without a coat.

"I've got it Drew, _god_" Kate snapped. "would you get off my dang back?"

"just put the jacket on, Katie" Drew said.

"okay, okay" Kate said, biting her lower lip as she put the life jacket on. she, Ed, and Drew were already in their canoe and slowly heading off out into the water. Kate could hear Lewis behind them giving Bobby a hard time. he kept calling him 'chubby' and pestering him to hurry up.

"if we hit any strong water" Ed said. "instead of barrel assin' through it, I think we can save ourselves some considerable hardship if we just backwater"

"sounds good" Kate said, nodding. that's when she suddenly noticed something. "_Drew!_" she said sharply.

"what?"

"put your freakin' life jacket on!" she said, shoving the remaining jacket toward her brother. "you made such a big dang deal about me having _mine_-"

"all right, you're right, Katie" Drew said, taking the jacket from her.

Kate sighed and rolled her eyes. "_honestly_" she grumbled. she could still hear Lewis and Bobby arguing behind her. _"this is most likely going to be a long trip" _she thought.

after a few minutes of canoeing, the group came to a bridge that overlooked the river. the banjo boy from earlier was standing in the center of it, staring down at them, his expression unreadable. he was slowly swinging his banjo back and forth, back and forth as though it were a pendulum on a clock. Drew smiled, his face lighting up a bit at the sight of the boy. "hey Ed, Katie, look who it is!"

"yeah, Drew, we see him" Kate said, laughing a bit.

Drew waved up at the boy, who just continued to stare down at them. Drew then held his paddle up slghtly, pretending to strum it like a guitar to try and remind the boy who he was. the boy's hard expression never wavered.

Kate frowned a bit, a strange feeling creeping over her. as they passed beneath the bridge, the boy turned, continuing to watch them as they passed. _"oh relax, Kate" _she thought to herself. _"just relax, you're just being silly" _but still, she had an uneasy feeling that wouldn't go away.

...

It turned out that Kate loved canoeing. it was one of the most fun things she'd ever done in her life. she was very nervous at first and would stiffen up at the slightest rocking of the canoe. but after a while she relaxed a bit and started to enjoy the experience. she was also very nervous when they came to their first set of rapids. she was afraid that she and the others weren't experienced enough (except for Lewis, of course, the most experienced person on the trip). after she got over the initial fear, she actually found it quite fun, almost like some sort of ride at a theme park. the only downside was that Drew was really starting to get on her nerves, occasionally asking her if she was okay, since she was sitting behind him (between him and Ed), and therefore, he couldn't see her. he got so annoying, that Kate had the urge to just smack him with her paddle to shut him up. "lighten _up_, Drew!" she said at one point. "if I'm not okay, you'll be the first to know, believe me!" after a while, they came to what looked like some very strong rapids. Kate couldn't help but swallow nervously.

"well for the lord's sake, would you look at that!" Drew said, his eyes widening a bit as he looked at the rapids ahead of them. he glanced at Ed over his shoulder. "what do we do now?"

Kate glanced over at Lewis and Bobby in the other canoe.

Lewis stood up for a second, his hands on his hips. "this is gonna be _fun!_" he shouted. he looked at the others behind him, sitting back down. "just follow us!"

"no problem there, Lewis!" Kate called, her heart beating faster as they closed in on the rapids ahead.

"hey, now wh-what happens if we flip this thing over?" Kate heard Bobby ask nervously.

"now that you brought that up" Lewis said. "hang onto your paddle. and if you hit any rocks, don't hit 'em with your head" Bobby gave him a dirty look over his shoulder.

"watch Lewis" Ed said. "maybe we can learn somethin'" he looked at Drew and Kate. "backwater, now" he said.

Lewis and Bobby went into the rapids first, the other three coming up a ways behind them. after Bobby and Lewis went through the first set of rapids, the other three steered toward them. "whoo!" Drew cheered, obviously enjoying himself. Kate couldn't help but laugh, it was starting to feel less and less scary to her and more and more fun.

"keep it straight!" Ed called as they approached a fallen tree that stretched out a little way into their path. "watch out for that tree!"

"I see it!" Kate called as they paddled around it. all of a sudden the canoe swerved around and started going down the rapids backwards.

"damn it!" Ed snapped, nearly falling from the canoe as it swung around fast.

Drew laughed as they got the canoe turned back around. "hey, it just doesn't seem right!" he called, laughing again.

"just a little unorthadox" Ed said, and the three burst out laughing.

"talk about amateurs!" Kate added, and they broke out into laughter yet again as they paddled after Bobby and Lewis.

they went through more rapids, each seeming to be more daunting then the last. but Kate, and certainly Drew, were having a blast, and Kate wasn't feeling nearly as nervous as she'd felt at the start of the trip. finally the two canoes were through the rapids. Drew cheered again, laughing.

"I'll tell ya, Lewis" Bobby said as the canoes slowly drifted along side by side. "that's the best, _second best _sensation I've ever felt!" he smiled.

"you did good, chubby" Lewis said. "you did good" he looked over at Kate. "you did pretty good too, darlin'" he winked at her.

Kate's face turned red and she could feel Drew's eyes on her. "um, th-thanks" she said, forcing a smile.

"damn, I thought we were gonna fall there, for a while" Ed said, smiling.

"hey, hey, you know that one place-" Bobby started, but Lewis cut him off before he could finish.

"you know what I was just thinkin'?" Lewis asked. "first explorers saw this country. saw it just like us... in a canoe"

"I can imagine how they felt!" Drew said, smiling.

"yeah, me too" Kate nodded.

"same here" Bobby said, turning to look at the others. "we beat it, didn't we? did we beat that?" he smiled.

"you don't beat it" Lewis said, getting a cigar from his pocket and lighting it. "you don't beat this river"

...

About 20 minutes later, they came to a spot in the woods where Lewis said they'd set up their camp for the night. they docked the canoes with a bit of hesitation, since they were all enjoying their time on the river.

"man, I could do this all day!" Drew said, smiling as he and Ed dragged the canoe out of the river and onto dry land.

"_yeah! _boy, that was one of the most fun things I've done in a long time" Kate said. she got her and Drew's stuff from the canoe.

it didn't take long for the group to set up camp, and Kate was surprised at how bored she was getting. she sighed and plopped down beside Drew, laying her head against his shoulder. "I'm bored"

"and?"

"entertain me" Kate said, smirking up at her brother.

"I don't exist solely for your entertainment, Katie" Drew said, lightly punching her arm.

she laughed and sat up a bit, looking over at Bobby. he was having a bit of trouble blowing up his air mattress. "need some help over there, Bobby?"

"no thanks, Kate, I got it" Bobby said, although he looked tempted to except the offer.

Kate nodded. "alrighty then" she sighed, still feeling bored and just a bit restless. after the rafting, she still had a bit of an adrenaline rush and thought about maybe going for a walk in the woods. _"nah, better not" _she thought. _"Drew would probably object to that"_

"well, I'm gonna go out and see if I can catch a bite" Lewis said, pushing one of the canoes back into the river, hopping inside.

Kate swallowed nervously. _"now's your chance to get away from Drew for a bit!" _she thought. her brother was driving her mad, what with his constent worrying. and besides that, Kate didn't object to the idea of being alone with Lewis. she got up from her place beside Drew and walked over to where Lewis was getting ready to paddle out to the center of the river.

he looked up when he saw her coming, smirking a bit. "can I help you, little lady?"

"um..." Kate suddenly found it hard to form words. _"say something, idiot!" _she thought. "um, I... c-can I come with you?" she smiled weakly.

a small grin crossed Lewis' face. "why _sure_ you can come with me, darlin'"

Kate felt her face turn red as she got into the canoe.

"Katie" Drew called. "what are you-?"

"Drew, _relax!_" Kate called, rolling her eyes as she turned her back on her brother, sitting at one end of the canoe. Lewis sat at the other, paddling the canoe out toward the center of the river. Kate could practically feel Drew's eyes burning through her. "_ugh_" she rubbed her face with her hand.

"your brother gettin' on your nerves there, Kate?" Lewis asked.

"_yes_, very much, so" Kate said, pushing her fingers through her long dishwater blond hair. "he's been practically breathing down my neck this whole dang trip, and this is only the first day!"

Lewis chuckled. "don't let it get to ya, Kate" he slowly stood up in the canoe, getting his bow and attatching one of the arrows to it with a cord.

Kate blinked. "um... what are you doing?"

"I'm fishin'" Lewis said simply.

"uh huh... uh, not that I'm an expert on fishing, but don't you need a _fishing pole _for that? and bait? and... not a bow and arrow?"

Lewis laughed. "well that might be how _most_ people fish" he said. "but this is the way_ I _do it" he smirked, winking at her.

Kate felt, to her irritation, that a light blush was forming across her face.

the two were silent for a few minutes as Lewis readied his bow. Kate's mind was drifting as she watched him. Lewis put the arrow on the bow, pulling it back and aiming at a fish swimming near the canoe. he fired the arrow, which shot into the water...

and missed the fish.

Lewis sighed, reeling the arrow back toward him. "machines are gonna fail" he said. "and the system's gonna fail. and then..."

Kate quirked an eyebrow, wondering what he was getting at. "and then what?"

"... then survival. who has the ability to survive. that's the game... survival"

Kate smirked. "and you can't wait for it to happen, can ya? you can't wait for it" she was a little caught off guard at how flirty she sounded. "well the system's done alright by me"

"oh yeah" Lewis said as he finished reeling the arrow in, readjusting it on the bow. "you got a nice family... nice brother... nice life in general, really, from what Ed's told me"

"you make that sound..." Kate smirked again. "... rather crappy, Lewis"

Lewis grinned at her, turning back to his bow and arrow. "so why'd you come on this trip, Kate?"

Kate sighed, shrugging. "I don't know... just... wanted to get away, I guess"

"get away? from what?"

"I don't really know" the teenager said slowly. "I guess I just wanted to get away from... _life_ for a while, you know?"

"oh sure" Lewis nodded, letting the arrow go. it shot into the water, spearing a fish that time. "_whoo!_" Lewis cheered, smiling.

Kate laughed. "nice catch, Lewis"

"thanks, darlin'" Lewis smiled at her. "you ever shoot a bow and arrow before, Kate?"

she shook her head. "no, can't say that I have"

"well maybe I can teach you"

Kate blushed slightly. "I... I'd like that, Lewis" she said quietly as he reeled the fish in.

"_terrific_, Lewis!" Bobby called with a hint of sarcasm, seeing the fish. he frowned in disgust at Ed and Drew. "I hate him" he grumbled.

Drew, meanwhile, was watching as Lewis and Kate slowly headed back toward the camp. he had a bad feeling about those two together.

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**I just couldn't help but add a bit of Lewis/Kate to this chapter, I JUST COULDN'T HELP IT! poor Drew, he _hates_ the idea that Lewis and Kate might like each other :P well, I hope you liked this chapter and don't forget to review. thanks!**

**-FreddysNightmare1984**


	3. The first night

**WHOOT, I'm updating! I've been wanting to update this for the last several days now, but I got kinda lazy and then was working on another story. but I'm hoping to update this one again soon.**

******DISCLAIMER: I do not own Deliverance or any of it's characters. I only own Kate**

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when nightfall came, Kate felt just a tiny bit creeped out. she had never exactly been a fan of the dark, but she tried to tell herself _not_ to freak out. after all, Drew and the others were there, and they had just gotten a fire going at their camp. Drew was sitting by the fire, playing a song on his guitar. Kate was sitting beside him, her head lying against his shoulder. she sighed, stretching. she felt eyes on her and slowly turned to see Lewis looking at her. her eyes widened a bit and he just smirked at her. Kate felt her face heating up, glad that it was dark out and the others couldn't tell. she smiled weakly at him. his grin widened a bit and he winked at her. before she realized it, Kate giggled a little. "what's so funny, Katie?" Drew asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.

Kate froze, sitting up and looking at him. "n-nothing" she said quickly, turning to look at the fire.

Drew narrowed his eyes a little, but didn't say anything more, turning his attention back to his guitar. Bobby had a beer in each hand, walking over and offering one to Ed, who held out his glass and let Bobby fill it up. "I'm glad we came here" Ed said.

"Lewis?" Bobby said, holding out the half full beer bottle.

"Lewis does not drink" Ed said.

Bobby then looked at Kate, smirking. "I'm guessing you don't either?"

"of course she doesn't" Drew said quickly before Kate had a chance to answer.

Kate decided to mess with her brother a bit. "how do _you_ know?" she smirked, standing and deciding to take a chance, going over and sitting down beside Lewis. "I could have had a few drinks before" she laughed.

"that's not funny" Drew said flatly.

"oh lighten up, Drew" Lewis said, smiling at Kate. she blushed again, much to her annoyance.

Drew narrowed his eyes at Lewis, going back to strumming his guitar.

"it's true, Lewis... what you said" Bobby said, sitting down near Lewis and Kate. "there's something in the woods and the water that we've... lost in the city"

"we didn't lose it" Lewis said, eating a bit of the fish he'd caught earlier. "we _sold_ it"

Bobby sighed. "well I'll say one thing for the system. the system _did_ produce the air mattress... or as it's better known among we camping types, the 'instant broad'"

the guys laughed a little, but Kate just rolled her eyes. "_men_" she grumbled, shaking her head.

"and if you fellas will excuse me..." Bobby said, standing and picking up his still deflated mattress. "... I'm gonna go be mean to my air mattress"

the guys laughed again as Bobby picked up a can of bug spray. it was obvious that he'd had a few too many drinks. "I do baptize thee, now in the name of modern technology... how sweet, oh yes" he sprayed himself with the bug spray. Kate sighed, rolling her eyes. everyone stopped what they were doing when Lewis stood suddenly, looking off into the woods. it was as though he'd heard something. he turned and started walking off into the woods.

"Lewis?" Ed asked.

the others all stood up, looking for him in the dark.

"does he think he is Tarzan, or what?" Bobby asked, irritated.

"where the heck does he think he's going?" Kate mumbled. she made a move to go off into the woods to try and find him, but Drew took hold of her arm and pulled her back a bit.

"he knows the woods though, he really does" Ed said, obviously a bit drunk.

"oh _really?_" Drew said. "seems to me like he wants to be 'one' with nature, but he can't hack it"

"well it's a hell of a time to be tellin' us _that_" Bobby mumbled sharply. he and Ed looked at each other and grinned, trying not to burst out laughing.

"would you two knock it off?" Kate grumbled, still looking out into the woods for Lewis.

Drew turned just then and walked off a few feet, trying to see out into the trees. Bobby, Ed, and Kate turned and followed. they were all standing there, as quiet as possible. they didn't hear Lewis coming out of the woods behind them. Bobby turned and practically jumped out of his skin, causing the others to all jump and whip around fast. "_geeze! _Lewis, you scared the shit outta me!" Bobby snapped.

"oh, uh, wh-what was it, Lewis?" Ed asked.

"yeah" Kate added. "what the heck was out there?"

"I don't know, I thought I heard somethin'" Lewis said, still looking around a bit.

"some_thing_ or some_one?_" Bobby asked.

Lewis glanced over at him. "I don't know" he laughed a bit, going over and lying down on his matress, tossing his arrows off by his stuff.

Kate sighed, guessing that the 'excitement' was over now. she hesitated, but purposely pulled her mattress over a bit further away from Drew's. _"that brother of mine really needs to chill out" _she thought, sighing and flopping down onto the mattress.

"night, Lewis" Drew mumbled.

Lewis seemed a bit surprised by the remark. "goodnight, Drew" he said. he turned and looked over at Kate. "night, Kate" he smirked and winked at her again.

Kate felt another blush creeping onto her face. "night, Lewis" she said quietly.

Bobby sighed, picking his air mattress back up. "I'm goin' to sleep" he walked over to an empty spot nearby, flopping his mattress down.

Ed walked over by the fire. "night has fallen. and there's nothin' we can do 'bout it"

"I had my first wet dream in a sleeping bag" Bobby said thoughtfully.

"oh good lord" Kate groaned, shaking her head as she flopped down onto her back on the mattress.

"how was it?" Ed asked.

"great... there's no repeatin' it" Bobby said, going into his makeshift tent.

"nevermind" Ed mumbled.

Kate sighed, rolling over and lying on her side. she closed her eyes, trying to ignore a cricket that was chirping nearby.

"no matter what disaster may occur in other parts of the world..." she heard Ed say slowly. "... or what petty little problems arise in Atlanta... no one can find us up here..." he paused. "... goodnight, Lewis"

Kate sighed again, sitting up and pulling her blanket over her. she glanced up and froze when she saw Lewis looking over at her. a small smile crossed his face. "night, Kate" he said quietly.

Kate blushed a bit, smiling back. "n-night, Lewis" she laid back down, trying to ignore the way her heart was hammering in her chest. she closed her eyes, feeling the exhaustion taking over. she (nor any of the others, for that matter) had any inkling of the nightmare that was about to take place the following day.

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**CRAP, this wasn't as long as I'd hoped. oh well... UGH, and I still have to put _that_ scene in the next chapter... I'M SO DREADING THAT! oh well it must be done. anywho, thanks for reading!**

**-FreddysNightmare1984**


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